Just occasionally, the global music circuit produces an unexpected collaboration that works. Kila are a long-established Irish traditional band, and were on tour in Japan when they were introduced to Oki, from the indigenous Ainu people in the far north of the country. They started playing together, and the result is the one of the most intriguing western-Japanese collaborations since Bob Brozman's bluesy duets with Takashi Hirayasu. Both Kila and Oki are influenced by local traditional styles, and the (mostly) acoustic Irish blend of dulcimer, banjo, whistle and pipes is set against the distinctively eastern sound of Oki's sturdy vocals and the tonkori, an Ainu stringed instrument. The results range from elegant, gently drifting and evocative instrumental work through to upbeat songs such as the rousing Ni Liom Fein, in which Irish dance is accompanied by the Ainu jaws harp, or the final Last Mile Home, in which a sturdy, bluesy ballad develops into a rousing celebration. Worth investigating.